Westlake students connect through fairy tales
LBMS language arts teacher Deb Schrembeck works with Salem Herbawi on his fairy tale for a Dover Elementary School second-grade student.
Deb Schrembeck’s seventh-grade language arts classes spent the last five weeks researching and writing fairy tales customized to second graders at Dover Elementary School.
The Lee Burneson Middle School assignment requires stories to be at least five pages, include images and an About the Author page, and focus on the child receiving the story. Students created their fairy tales based on questionnaires that second-grade students filled out about themselves, including their desired vacation spots, a list of family members, and favorite books and movies.
Stories will be assembled into hardbound books that the LBMS students will present to their Dover students on Feb. 2.
Salem Herbawi wrote a story for Logan, using his favorite vacation spots or places he’d like to visit as key locations in the fairy tale.
“I found all of the information in his interview sheet and I want him to know it’s about him,” Herbawi said.
Stella Davisson is writing a story for a girl who wants to be a teacher and travel to Egypt and Walt Disney World. She also wove in scenes about trolls since her second-grader likes the movie “Trolls.”
Schrembeck started the fairy tale unit in 2009 but took a break in 2014 because of the amount of work required. She started it back up this year after a fellow teacher – who has a second-grade student – reminded her of the impact of the books even years later. She also wanted to give her students a break from state testing preparation to nurture their creative sides.
“I know the books will be keepsakes,” Schrembeck said. “I’ve received emails from as far as Jordan from family members who appreciated their family’s details being shared in a book.”
Guest editors helped students polish their writing before completing their books. Board of Education President Joseph Kraft, Superintendent Scott Goggin, board members Barb Leszynski and Carol Winter, and associate Superintendent Kathi Maxwell all volunteered their time as guest editors.